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(No Model.) K 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. L

- H.T. R. ZRIDLRR. 1

ELEGTRIG PROGRAM CLOCK.

No. 553,890. Patented Feb. 4; 1896.`

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ANDREW EGRAHAM PNOTOMTMQWASMNGTOKDYC.

(NC Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. T. R. ZEIDLER.

ELECTRIC PROGRAM CLOCK.

No. 553,890. C l Patented Feb.- 4, 1896.

wif/785565: Y /n Ven/0m JM/W UNTTED STATES PATENT @Erica HERMAN THEODORREINIIOLD ZEIDLER, OF BERLIN, GERMANY.

ELECTREC PROGRAM-CLOCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 553,890, dated February4, 1896.

Application led June 29, 1895. Serial No. 554,422. (No model.)

To all whom. t may concern:

Be it linown that I, HERMAN THEOD'OR REINHOLD ZEIDLER., a subject of theGerman Emperor, residing at Berlin, in the German Empire, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Electric Signal or Time-AlarmClocks; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to time-alarm clocks forgiving electric signalsat one or more places upon a prearranged program.

This invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theparts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a vertical section through aportion of aprogram-clock constructed according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a frontview of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail view taken in section on the linect b in Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a detail longitudinal and cross see-tionthrough one of the contactpieces. Fig. 5 is a front view of a portion ofthe wheel :r and the mechanism for operating it.

A is the dial-plate of the program-clock, which is preferably providedwith a glass front of approved construction.

B is the minute-hand, and D is the hourhand.

The dial need not be provided with figures or numerals, as the devicecan be placed in a cellar or other dark place, and when unprovided withnumerals the plate A becomes an ordinary plate or Iiat disk, and theminutehand B becomes a mere rod, which projects laterally of the centraldriving-shaft.

A train of clock-driving mechanism (not shown in the drawings) and ofany approved construction is provided, and this train is connected tothe main driving-shaft 7c. A shaft t' is journaled in a frame E insidethe clock-case in line with the shaft 7e, and l is a coupling-plate ofinsulating material interposed between the ends of the said shafts andcoupling them together. The frame E is of insulating material or isinsulated in any approved manner.

A toothed pinion q and a toothed wheel f are secured upon the shaft t'.The hourhand D is secured on a shaft c, which also has a toothed wheel hsecured on it and gearing into the pinion The minute-hand B is securedon a tubular shaft d, which encircles the shaft c and is journaled inthe dial-plate A. The dialplate A is formed of insulating material or isinsulated in any approvedv manner. The shaft c is journaled in the frameE and in the tubular shaft d.

The tubular shaft d is slidable longitudinally on the shaft c, and hassecured upon it a broad-faced toothed pinion c, which gears into thewheel f. The toothed wheels and pinions are proportioned so that theminutehand makes twelve revolutions while the hour-hand makes onerevolution, the same as an ordinary clock.

An internal toothed wheel c is journaled in a ring af', which is securedto the back of the dial A. A toothed pinion r is Asecured on the tubularshaft d, and w is an idle toothed wheel journaled on the pin fuprojecting from the back of the dial. The idlewheel w gears into theteeth of the pinion r, and the wheel x is revolved once every twelve ortwenty-four hours or any other prearran ged period.

A collar p is secured on the tubular shaft d, and 0 is a spring whichnormally holds the said shaft pressed to the right, and which alsoserves as a contact-spring.

A disengaging-lever m is provided for pushing the tubular shaft d to theleft when requisite. This lever is pivoted on the pin q carried by theend of the pint, and its lower end bears against the said collar p. Theupper end n of the lever m bears against a Y stop-flange y formed on thewheel oc, and is provided with a hook a which engages with the saidflange. The lever m is provided for sliding the tubular shaft d to theleft, and the said flange y is provided with a notch ,e at one point ofits periphery which permits the lever m to be turned on its pivot when.the said notch .e comes opposite the hook a'. A cam or detent s is alsosecured on the tubular shaft CZ and the use of this cam will be morefully described hereinafter.

G is an electric bell, signal orannunciator, of any approvedconstruction. This bell is sounded at prearranged intervals of time bythe program-clock. The bell G .is shown arranged inside the clock-case,but it is obvious that it can be arranged at a distance from the clockand that a number of bells G- can be included in series in the wire mthrough which the electricity is supplied to aetuate the bell.

The dial-plate A has a spiral groove f formed in it, and on the trout oithe said dialplateaprogram or contact plate A is secured. Theprogram-plate A is formed of conducting material, and when thedial-plateis not formed ot' non-comlucting materia-l the plate A isinsulated from itin any approved manner. rlhecontact-plate A has aspiral guide, Ijireferably consisting ot a spiral groove c correspondingwith the spiral groovef", and this groove c preferably consists ottwelve or twenty-four convolutions. Each convolution represents onehour, and each convolution is marked off by radins-'lines into sixtyminute spaces, as shown in Fig. 2.

The wire nl. is operatively connected with the contact-plate A. This maybe accomplished by securing the wire m direct to the plate, in whichcase the connection is constant. In order to obtain an interniittentconnection between the wire ym and the plate A, and thereby compel thebell to ring `for the same length ot time at dillerent intervals duringthe day, as will be hereinafter more ,i'ully explained, a contact-ring ois secured to the dial-plate concentric with andata little distance fromthe contact-plate A. The contact-ring o is provided with a series of:plates oi' non-conducting material r arranged equidistant from cachother, or grooves may be used instead oi the said plates. A series ofcontact-surfaces is thereby formed between the platesr. This series ot'contact-surfaces may be iormed on the plate A instead of on the ring o',it desired.

The minute-hand ,ll is provided with an insulated roller q, or any otherapproved i'orm ot' contact-piece. This roller runs between collars onthe rod c which forms a part of the minute-haiugl, and this rollercompletes the circuit between the ring o and the plate A as long as itis in contact with the contactsurfaces of the said ring between theplates r. The wire m is connected to the ring 0 by an ordinarybinding-screw.

A contact-roller b, or any other approved :form oi' contact-piece, isslidable on the rod c of the minute-hand and runs in the spiral guide orgroove e ot the contact-plate A. Plates of insulating' material d areinterposed between the roller Z1 and the plate A, but the said roller isalways in circuit with the rod c'.

Contact-piec s n are provided for making the circuit between theroller 1) and the plate A at prearranged intervals. These contactpiecesn are channel-shaped in cross-section and have sufficient elasticity toretain their places when pressed into the groove c at any point.

F is a battery or electricity generator of any approved construction.One pole ol.` the battery is connected with the minute-bami by thesleeve CZ and spring o, and the other pole is connected with the ring oincluding the bell G in the circuit.

The contact-roller b is moved outwardly along the rod by theconvolutions ol. the spiral groove c with which it engages as the ni innte-hand is revolved.

Suppose that it is desired to ring the bell at eight minutes pasttwelve. Acontact-piece n is pressed into the lirst convolution upon theeighth section corresponding radially in position with the eighthminute-space al'ter the hour. Then the contact-roller o touches thebottom ot' the chanucl-shaped ci'mtiiaet-Ijiiece n, the circuit isestablished from the battery F through the spring o, tubular shal't d,rod c, roller b, contact-piece yn, contact-plate A', roller q,contact-ring o" to the bell, and l'rom the bell to the negative pole ot"the battery. The bell continues to sound as long as the contact-roller bremains in contact willi the contact-piece n.

Itis obvious thatany desired number ot contact-pieces n maybe `inserted.iu the spiral groove c', so that the bell may be sounded on anyprearranged program or schedule.

The function oi the contact-ring o is to equalize the periods duringwhich the bell. sounds. The insulating plates r, or grooves, arearranged on the radial minute-lines ol.l the clock and ol' thecontact-plate A, and the bell only sounds while the contact-roller q' isin. contact with the ring o. ly this means all the contact-pieces n canbe ol canal size, and each time the bell is sounded itwill continue toring for the same length oit' time, whether the contact-piece n, whichcompletes t-he circuit, is in the Iirst or twellth convolution of thespiral groove c.

lVhen the contact-roller il arrives at the end g of the twelfthconvolution ot the spiral groove c', it is automatically restored to itsoriginal position in the iirst canlvolution by automatic disengagingmechanism, which slides the minute-hand 13 away :trom the dialplate. Assoon as the roller o' clears the groove c, it slides down the rod c bygravity, the end g of the twelfth convolution being arranged to come atthe upper part-ot' the dialplate. iVhen the end g ot the groove comes inany other position, a spring or counterweight of approved construction.can be used to slide the roller along the rod autinnaticall y.

The position ot' the hour-hand D is indicated by a dotted line in Fig. 2tor the sake of clearncss,

An electromagnet 't is provided tor operating the disengaging-lever onand thereby sliding the minute-hand away from the dial-plate. Thiseleetromagnet is energized periodically. A lever' 71, is pivoted to the:tramo E and projects through a hole in the same .i nto the path of thecam s. This lever 7L carries a contactmagnet by the wire l.

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to the frame E in the path of the contactscrew i, and this spring isconnected to the battery F by the Wire l. The other pole of the 'batteryis provided with a Wire also leading to the electromagnet. lVhen the cams tips up the lever h', it makes the circuit, and

- roller to re-enOaOe with the roove e as soon C D b 7 as the cam sreleases the lever h. The lever 7L resumes its original position bygravity and may be assisted by a spring, if desired.

Various other means for automatically sliding the shaft d longitudinallymay be used. For instance, a tappet u may be formed on the wheel asindicated by the dotted line in Fig. l, and this tappet may be arrangedto push back the upper part of the lever m, when the hook a is oppositevthe notch z of the flange y, and the electromagnet may be dispensedwith.

This program-clock is used for giving simultaneous signals at differentplaces-as, for instance, in the departments of a factory or school or inhotels for awakening all the guests at a certain hour-and it is alsoused with a single bell for giving' signals upon a prearranged program.

lVhat I claim isl. The combination, with a program-plate provided with aspiral guide, of a longitudinally-slidable central shaft provided with alaterally-projecting rod, a contact-piece slidable on the said rod andmovable laterally therewith into and out of engagement with the saidspiral guide, and a spring normally holding the said contact-piece inengagement with the guide, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a program-plate, and a contact-ring insulatedfrom and surrounding the said plate, one of the said parts beingprovided with a series of contact-surfaces on its' face, of a centralshaft provided with a laterally-projecting rod carrying a contact-piece,overlapping the adjacent edges of the said plate and ring and operatingto establish a seriesl of connections between the said plate and ring,substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a plate of nonconducting material provided witha spiral groove, and a contact-plate provided with a similar spiralgroove, of a central shaft provided With a laterally-projecting rod, acontact-piece slidable on the said rod, a stationary contact pieceengaging with the said grooves and arranged in the path of the aforesaidcontact-piece, a ring insulated from the said contact-plate and providedwith a series of contact-surfaces, and a contact-piece carried by thesaid rod and completing the circuit periodically between the said plateand ring, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with a program-plate provided With a spiral guide,and a slidable contactpiece engaging with the guide, of drivingmechanism for supporting the contact-piece and moving' it along theguide, m ean s--s uch as a spring-for holding the contact-piece in theguide, and automatic disengaging mechanism operating to slide thecontact-piece out of the guide When it arrives at the outer end thereof,substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, with the minute-hand of a clock and itssupporting-shaft, of a program-plate provided with a spiral guide, aContact piece carried by the said hand, a spring pressing the said shaftin one direction and normally holding the said contact-piece in theguide, and disengaging mechanism controlled by the motion of the clockand operating automatically to slide the said shaft in the oppositedirection and move the said contactpiece clear of the guide at prearranged intervals, substantially as set forth.

(l. The combination, with the minute-hand of a clock and itssupporting-shaft, of a program-plate provided with a spiral guide, acontact-piece carried by the said hand and automatically slidable towardthe said shaft when clear of the said guide, and a stop carried by thesaid hand and operating to arrest the said contact-piece opposite theinner end of the guide, substantially as set forth.

'7. The combination, With a dial-plate, a spiral guide in front of thedial-plate, and a slidable shaft having secured thereon a toothed pinionand a hand carrying a contactpiece engaging with the said guide; of aninternal toothed wheel vjournaled behind the dial-plate and providedwith a notched iiange, a toothed idle-wheel operatively connecting thesaid pinion and wheel, and a pivoted lever provided with a hooked endengaging with the said flange and operating to slide the said shaft andmove the contact-piece clear of the guide when the said hooked endisdrawn back through the notch in the said flange, substantially as setforth.

8. The combination, with a slidable shaft, a Wheel provided with anotched flange and revolved from the said shaft, and a lever for slidingthe shaft, said lever being provided with a hooked end engaging with thesaid flange; of automatic retracting devices operatively connected withthe said shaft and arranged to operate the said lever when the notch inthe said flange comes opposite its hooked end, substantially as setforth.

9. The combinationLwith a slidable shaft, a wheel provided with anotched flange and revolved from the said shaft, and a lever for slidingthe said shaft, said lever being provided With a hooked end engagingwith thesaid flange 5 of an electrom agnet arranged be- IOO IIO

hind the said lever and operating to retract itshooked end through thenotch in the flange, substantially as set forth.

10. The combination7 with a prograin-clock operating to give signalsupon a recurrent program, said clock being provided with a contact-pieces'lidable longitudinally on one oi' its hands, and a stationary spiralguide carrying contact-pieces and controlling the movement of theaforesaid contact-piece; of an electromagnet, intermittent operatingdevices causing the said eleetromagnet to be energized automatically atthe end of each program, and disengagin g devices actuated by the saidelectromagnet and operating to restore the said slidable contact-pieceto the position occ u pied by it at the beginning of the program,substantially as set forth.

ll. The combination, with a program-clock operating to give signals upona recurrent program, said clock being provided with a contact-pieceslidable longitudinally on one of its hands, and a stationaryY spiralguide carrying contact-pieces and controlling the movement of theaforesaid contact-piece, of an electromagnet, a cam driven by the saidclock, a pivoted lever arranged in the path of the said cam andoperating when actuated thereby to switch an electric current .into thesaid electromagnet, and disengaging mechanism actuated by the saidelectromagnet and opcrating to restore the said slidable contact-pieceto the position occupied by it at the beginning oi the program,substantially as set forth.

l2. The combination,with an insulated contact-plate provided with a spiral-guide groove, of an insulated minute-hand provided with appropriatedriving mechanism and a slidable contact-piece controlled by the saidguidegroove, a trough-shaped contact-piece sprung into the said grooveand permitting the said slidable contact-piece to pass through il, inits passage along the said guide-groove, an electric signal, anelectricity-generator, and wires connecting the said generator with thesaid hand and plate respectively and including the said signal in thecircuit, wherel y the said signal is operated while the two saidcontact-pieces are together, substantially as set forth.

13. The combination ,with an insu lated contact-plate provided with aspiral guide, and an insulated contact-ring surrounding the said plate,one of the said parts being provided with a series of equidistant andequal contact-surfaces; of an insulated minutehand provided withappropriate driving mechanism, a slidable contact-piece 'h' controlled ly the said guide, and an insulated coniaet-ijiiece q operatingtoestablish a circuit periodically between the said plate and ring; astationary contact-piecen carried by the said plate and arranged in thepath oi the said. slidable (fontact-piece, an electric signal, anelectricitygenerator, and wires connecting the said generator with thesaid hand and ring respectively and including the said signal in thecircuit, whereby the said signal is operated for the same length of timewhile the two coutact-pieecs Z1 and a' are together .irrespective of theconvolution in which the contact-piece `n/ is placed, substantially asset iforth.

In testimony whereof I have ai'lixed my sig nature in presence of twowitnesses.

HERNAN 'illllilOllOR` lilllXllOlill Zllllllrllll. lVitnesses:

EMIL KOLLINER, MAX KVA GNER.

